Mike Elko‘s Texas A&M Aggies’ main objective for the 2025 season should be exceedingly obvious: to break out of the purgatory they’ve found themselves in for so long now. They’ve returned and transferred in plenty of talent, which on paper is a good thing, but as fall camp has unfolded, a few gaps have started to show on the defensive side of the ball. That’s the balancing act Elko faces—momentum in some areas, nagging concerns in others. And with the SEC schedule looming, small cracks in the armor tend to get exposed quickly.

That’s where the conversation has shifted. During Monday, August 18’s TexAgs Live, Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports summed up the unease: “Here are my concerns just based off talking to people around A&M. Defensive tackle. The middle of the defense I’m a little bit concerned about after hearing about things happening in practice.” He added that the interior of the offensive line looks sharp, setting up Le’Veon Moss for what could be a breakout campaign, and pointed out that Marcel Reed’s growth as a passer is a storyline worth tracking.

“That offense is going to be more explosive this year. That’s my belief. That’s what I believe. But I’m starting to get a little bit concerned about the middle of the defense. We won’t know until we know, right? Until we actually get in games or whatever. But from what I’m hearing, that’s like my one thing I went, ‘Wasn’t quite expecting to hear as negative things about the defensive tackle, middle of the defense situation.’”

The issue cuts to the core of Mike Elko’s philosophy. Known as a defensive architect, he can paper over cracks with scheme, but even the best playcaller needs anchors in the middle. Texas A&M has always recruited length and speed at the edges, but stopping the run in the SEC starts with gap integrity and brute strength in the interior. If those defensive tackles can’t win first down or keep LBs clean, the Aggies’ speed advantage gets neutralized. It’s why this feels like more than just a small camp hiccup—it has the makings of a potential season-defining flaw. The good news? The passing game is stocked. “The receiver core is especially underrated just because of what they added, and then the emergence of [Ashton] Bethel-Roman. From what I’m hearing, the reports out of there, that’s a very nice development for that offense.”

While the middle is a worry, there are positives on the back end. After ranking 90th nationally in passing defense last season, the Aggies have shown growth in coverage during camp. Mike Elko, never one to sugarcoat, has been clear about the progress. “I think what is noticeable is there’s a much better comfort level playing together,” he said. “When you just talk about communication lines and when you’re familiar and comfortable playing with the guy next to you, it makes it a lot easier to communicate through the difficult concepts and combinations that get thrown at you.” That’s a subtle but critical fix. Secondaries often live or die not by raw talent but by communication when the offense stresses them with tempo or exotic route trees.

The stats from last year tell the story. Texas A&M finished 13th in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game at 232.2 and gave up 20 passing TDs, ranking 74th nationally. Those numbers won’t cut it in a league where half the quarterbacks seem destined for NFL draft boards. Yet the Aggies weren’t entirely helpless—they snagged 16 interceptions, good enough for top-15 nationally, flashing the kind of opportunistic play that can swing a game. Mike Elko has leaned into that, working to turn those flashes into a baseline expectation rather than a lucky break.

That’s why this camp is a paradox. On one hand, A&M looks primed to take a leap offensively. Reed is progressing, Moss is set for a big workload behind a line that’s holding its own, and the receivers have depth they haven’t had in years. On the other hand, the Aggies enter September needing a quick fix in the one spot Mike Elko can’t afford to be soft.

ESPN splits on Texas A&M’s 2025 fate

Mike Elko may have the Aggies building momentum toward a potential CFP darkhorse run, but not every analyst is sipping the maroon Kool-Aid just yet. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura tossed a curveball in his preseason bowl projections, slotting A&M into the Texas Bowl on December 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston, facing BYU. For Aggie fans, that projection feels like déjà vu in the worst way.

Texas A&M has made three Texas Bowl trips in the past decade, and the results have been a mixed bag: a 33-28 loss to Kansas State in 2016, a nail-biting 24-21 win over Oklahoma State in 2019, and another letdown in 2023 with a 31-23 loss to those same Cowboys. The Texas Bowl, while respectable, is widely considered one of the SEC’s “Tier Two” landing spots—basically the next wave of selections after the CFP and Citrus Bowl teams are set. In practical terms, it often means your team lives in the eight-win neighborhood.

There is, however, a bit of sunshine on the horizon. Mark Schlabach, Bonagura’s ESPN colleague, projected a slightly brighter outcome: Texas A&M finally making its first-ever Citrus Bowl appearance in Orlando on December 31. It’s not the CFP, but for Elko’s first year at the helm, it would mark a much-needed break from the endless Texas Bowl cycle.